Chapter 5

"Alright. I grant you and your guest permission to enter my territory," a male voice said through the phone. Ryan thanked him and hung up. After he hung up, I borrowed his phone to quickly call my parents. We continued driving for another half-hour, until we stopped in front of a three story mansion. Typical pack house.

Most people would stand in front and gape at the building. But I don't. I live in a castle. I'm used to fancy things. It's also not the best pack house I've seen. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. But I've seen every other pack house, and its not the best. It has a lot of character though.

"Come on. We'll get the bags later," Ryan said, walking toward the front door. We stopped at the front and Ryan turned to me. "Do you smell anything?" he asked.

I inhaled through my nose. I smelt werewolves, pine, chocolate, and cookies. Yeah. Chocolate. Its not my mate though. Ryan's scent smells like chocolate. It always makes me hungry. My stomach growled and Ryan chuckled.

"Do you smell anything other than my scent?" He questioned with a knowing grin. I shook my head. "He's gonna be in one of these packs." Ryan gave me a reassuring smile. I smiled back and he knocked on the double doors.

A woman with dark brown hair and bright hazel eyes opened the door. "Hello. You must be Alpha Hayes. I'm Rebecca Laney, the Luna" she stuck her hand out for Ryan to shake.

Ryan took her hand in his. "Please, call me Ryan. Alpha Hayes makes me feel old," Ryan joked. Rebecca laughed and Ryan turned to me. "This is my niece, Emma,"

'Niece?' I asked Ryan through our mind-link.

'Your father wants your identity to be hidden. No one needs to know that the Princess is out of the castle,' Ryan replied. That makes sense. Not everyone likes the King and Queen. Regardless of the packs being part of our Kingdom, that doesn't mean that they like it. I've heard about what people have done to our Royal Warriors. Not to mention there's so many people out for the Crown. If our Royal Pack and my parents could be defeated, that would make the victor the new ruler.

I pushed the fear far down and took a deep breath, focusing on the Luna. "Hello. I'm Rebecca," she introduced herself again. "It's nice to meet you, Emma."

I cringed at my full name. "Just Ema, please," I said with a small laugh. Rebecca nodded and opened the door wider, motioning for us to come inside.

"Michael is in his office. Would you like something to drink?" she asked. Ryan and I shook our heads. "Alrighty then. Follow me," she walked up stairs and stopped in front of a wooden door.

"Come in," a male voice said from inside. Rebecca opened the door and we walked inside with her.

I glanced around the office. There were shelves of books and pictures. He had a shiny dark brown desk that matched the dark brown coffee table and a black leather couch. "Alpha Hayes is here," Rebecca stated.

The man turned in his chair, so he was facing us. "I'm Alpha Michael Laney." The man stood up from his chair and took two steps around the desk.

"Ryan Hayes." Ryan shook hands with the Alpha. "This is my niece-"

God, not the full name. "Ema" I cut him off. I shook hands with Michael and he motioned for us to sit on the leather couch. Rebecca and he sat in the love seat as Ryan and I sat on the three-person couch.

"You said you have news from the Council," Michael said, getting straight to business.

Ryan nodded. "Are you two mates?" Ryan asked. The couple looked at each other and smiled, then turned back to us and nodded. "True mates?" Ryan questioned.

"Yes. Where are you going with this?" Rebecca asked confused and slightly wary.

"The Council has passed a new law. Only a true Alpha and Luna may lead a pack," Ryan said. The couple didn't look surprised at all.

The Alpha nodded. "This is about the Crescent Moon and the Nightfall pack," Michael stated. Ryan nodded. "Those poor kids," Michael said sadly.

"Was that the only news?" Rebecca asked.

Ryan nodded. "If it is no trouble, my niece and I would like to stay for tonight." Rebecca quickly nodded her head.

"No trouble at all. The Head Alpha is always welcome in our home," Rebecca said. "We actually have gotten two rooms set up already," she stated.

"Rebecca wanted to be prepared for your arrival. She even stocked the fridge and told the teens not to eat any of the food. She used her Luna voice," Michael laughed.

Rebecca turned red from embarrassment and slapped Michael's arm. "Would you like a tour?" Rebecca asked. Ryan said that he needed to discuss some final things with Michael. She turned to me. "Want a tour? I can introduce you to some people," Rebecca offered.

I looked at Ryan, who nodded at me in approval. "Sure. Thanks," I said. I followed her out the office and into the hallway. She gave me a tour of the second story, that consisted of other offices, a few bathrooms, and hospital rooms.

The house was a pretty basic pack house. There were rooms for teen girls, rooms for teen guys, rooms for mates, and there was a whole floor just for the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma families.

"Are you hungry?" Rebecca asked. I nodded eagerly, causing her to laugh. Its not my fault I'm hungry. I didn't eat breakfast. "We can make some sandwiches," Rebecca said while we walked down the stairs. She led me into the kitchen where someone was making food.